The Long Road Home
by PlagueOfPrague
Summary: : Post-Showtime. Buffy takes Spike back to a house full of curious SIT’s. Xander is being nice. This will probably lead to spuffyness, so beware.
1. Slipping Away

Title: The Long Road Home

Rating: PG

Summary: Post-Showtime. Buffy takes Spike back to a house full of curious SIT's. Xander is being nice. This will prolly lead to spuffyness, so beware.

"We're almost there…" Buffy muttered quietly, sparing a pitiful look at the vampire clinging to her side. She felt a familiar lump in her throat at the sight of him like this. This was what, the third time his eye had been so swollen he couldn't see? Yeah, three. Glory, The First Evil, and her. The last time he was like this was because of her. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and tightened her grip around his waist, supporting most of his weight on her own small form.

"Buffy…"

She ignored him. As much as she would like to let him get his almost incoherent rambling out of his system, there just wasn't the time. She had no clue when The First would be coming back, and she didn't want to stick around to find out.

"Buff…"

She suddenly found herself supporting him completely, the sudden onput of his weight nearly knocking her to her feet. She sunk to her knees, swallowing back more tears. "Spike?"

Great. Unconscious. She glanced up the tunnel. She hadn't wanted to force him to walk this far, but there was no way that he was going to be able to climb up the cave walls to exit through the Christmas tree lot. She had no chose but to lead him through the twisting caves to another opening she knew let out it the woods. It wasn't much further ahead, and with any luck, she could carry him the rest of the way.

Looking back down at the vampire, she swallowed and quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket. "Xander? I need your help…"

-----

Warm. That was the only thing his mind could register at the moment. And a voice. Calling him. The First? No, couldn't be. Buffy. Buffy had come.

Buffy.

"Spike? Come on, _please wake up…"_

A slight moan escaped his throat as he pried his eyes open wearily. "Buffy?"

"Hey…"

He was surprised at the concern in her voice. She was looking down at him, her green eyes shining with concern. She was…. upside down? His face scrunched up. It hurt.

"Buffy, where are we…"

"Shh." She said softy, giving him a small smile. "We're almost home…"

He closed his eyes. Yep. They were moving. In a car, he supposed. Him in the lying in the back seat, his head on the Slayer's lap, and…

"He awake?"

Spike groaned inwardly at the voice from the driver's seat. Harris was driving. Had he had the strength, he would have protested, but as it was, he could barely keep himself awake. He could feel Buffy's hand wrapped firmly around his left arm, her thumb brushing against his skin in an almost reassuring fashion.

The rest of the trip was made in silence. Spike had to fight to keep himself from drifting off again, the idea of lying down in the backseat of a warm car with his head in the Slayer's lap all to appealing after the amount of time he had spent chained tot hat stupid cave wall. He was content to stay here for the rest of eternity, even if the Whelp was in the front seat.

Then he felt someone pulling him up. He opened his eyes to find they had arrived at the Summer's home. Xander was standing outside the door, one of his hands clasped firmly around Spike's as he pulled him up from the seat. The world began to spin as Spike found his feet hitting the pavement, and for a moment he thought he was going to fall to the ground, but much to his surprise, Xander had caught his arm, keeping him upright as Buffy climbed from the backseat of his car and shut the door.

"Come on." She said gently, putting one of his arms around her neck as she wrapped her arm around his waist. Xander walked ahead as they made their way slowly towards the front door, shuffling along slowly. It took a bit of doing to get up the stairs and in the front door, but when they did, they almost regretted it.

Spike looked around curiously as a group of people gathered around, coming from all over the place. The kitchen, the living room, the dining room, upstairs… He heard whispers as he limped through the door, cling desperately to the Slayer as she led him towards the stairs.

"Is that Spike?"

"He's a vampire, right?"

"Why'd she bring him here?"

"He's going to kill us while we sleep…"

Looking past the unfamiliar faces, he saw Red, Dawn, Anya, and Giles, each with the same look of pity and astonishment on their faces.

Buffy swallowed, stiffening, ignoring the continued whispers and the eyes following them. It seemed to take all to long to get from the front door to the base of the stairs, where she finally let Spike slide easily from her hold and sit. She turned, facing the inquiring group behind her. They fell silent almost instantly, eager to hear anything at all about the vampire that had just walked into their midst. The silence lingered for a moment, but they couldn't take it any longer.

"Did The First do that?"

"Where was he, Buffy?"

"Were you attacked again?"

"Why didn't you tell us you were going?"

"Do you think he's…"

"Girls, girls!" Buffy felt all too much like her mother as she nearly shouted to get their attention. She straightened, pulling back her shoulders as she began to speak firmly. "Look, I know you have questions, but now's not the time. I need you to go out into the living room for a little bit."

"But Buffy…"

"No buts." Buffy said shortly, her voice firm. "Dawn, would you?"

The teen nodded, giving Kennedy's shirt a slight tug when she didn't follow the rest of the SIT's. She followed reluctantly, glancing over her shoulder at Spike one last time before disappearing from view.

"Will, could you get me a first-aid kit?" Buffy asked, not looking at the redhead as she crouched down before the vampire.

"Yeah…" the Wiccan muttered, disappearing towards the kitchen.

"Dear Lord…" Giles muttered, listening to the rather loud arguments coming from the living room. Seems the SIT's all had different ideas about Spike.

"I suppose we should break it up?" Xander suggested.

"After you." Giles offered, waving his arm out towards the living room as Xander walked by. Anya followed behind them, not completely comfortable about being left alone in the hall with Buffy and Spike.

"Here, Buff…" Willow said quietly, handing the bright yellow box to the Slayer. "I brought this too." She offered Buffy a small mug, half filled with warmed pig's blood. "There wasn't much left…"

"Thanks Will." Buffy said softly, giving her friend a smile as she walked away. She sank silently to sit on the step besides the vampire, slipping the mug into his shaking hands. "Drink this, it'll help."

"Buffy, I…"

"Not now." She said gently, giving his shoulder a small squeeze as she stood. "I'll be right back."

Spike could hear her retreating up the stairs behind him, taking the steps two at a time judging by the number of times her feet touched the ground. He brought the mug shakily to his lips, sipping at the warm red liquid inside as he strained to hear the voices from the other room.

"….but he'll kill us!"

"Now, Molly, I assure you, Spike's…." he heard Giles begin.

"A vampire! You're supposed to be protecting us, not letting the things that want to eat us spend the night!"

"He **can't eat you."**

Spike was surprised to hear Xander's voice sticking up for him. Must be a new kindness record for the Whelp. First helping him to not fall on his face in the driveway, and now defending his reliability as a decent houseguest. He was pulled from his musing as he felt something slide over his shoulders. A blanket. Buffy wrapped it around his shoulders as she sat back down beside him, glad to see that he had finished off the blood, even if it had been such a meager amount.

"Here." She took the mug from him, placing it absently on the floor and picking up the discarded first-aid kit. He felt himself nearly drifting off again as he leaned his head against the wall, barely ware of the Slayer's attempt to fix up some of the wounds on his chest.

"Spike. Spike?"

The vampire jumped a bit. Hm. Apparently he _had drifted off. Buffy brushed the hair from his face, giving him a small smile as she stood. "Come on. I'll take you upstairs." She said, offering him her hand._

"But…. the girls…." Spike nodded over his shoulder as she helped him to his feet.

"Oh, them…" Buffy cringed a bit at the thought of introducing them to the vampire.

"Who are they?" He managed, chocking back the bit of blood he felt in the back of his throat. Apparently his stomach wasn't too keen on eating after going so long without feeding.

Buffy sighed. "I guess now's a good a time as any…" She looked up at him, her eyes still brimmed with unspilt tears. "You up for introductions?" The only reply she got was a confused look. She sighed once more. "Come on…"

A silence fell over the occupants of the living room as Buffy led Spike in, directing him gently towards the couch. Xander got up, making room for the vampire to sit between Dawn and Willow.

_Three points for the Whelp… Spike thought cynically, tightening the blanket around his shoulders as he sank into the seat. He found five unfamiliar faces staring at him, all wide eyed. They seemed around Dawn's age, except for a girl sitting on the coffee table in front of Willow. She seemed a bit older than the rest._

"Spike, this is Kennedy, Chloe, Vi, Rona, and Molly." Buffy said, pointing to the girls as she named them. Kennedy, the girl in front of Willow, was the only one who offered him even the faintest smile. "Girls, this is Spike…"

There was a brief silence as they took in the fact that they were sitting in front of a real vampire. It was quite odd, really. They had been expecting a vampire to be a bit more intimidating than this. Spike just sat there, beaten and bruised, staring at them as he tightened his hold on the white and pink flowered blanket he held tightly around himself.

"I'm glad you're back." Dawn said honestly, breaking the silence. "…. I was worried." She sounded almost ashamed to admit it, her eyes falling a bit as the words left her lips.

"Thanks, Bit…" Spike said earnestly, giving the girl a small smile.

"Are you really a vampire?" Spike turned to face a girl with long brunette hair. Molly, as Buffy had labeled her.

"Well, duh. We all already knew that." Chloe responded, giving her an odd look.

"But he's not very scary." Vi added, eyeing him over.

"I thought you said he was strong, Buffy." Rona inquired, looking at the Slayer as if she were the biggest liar on the face of the planet.

"Guys!"

They all turned, surprised. Kennedy sunk back a bit, suddenly feeling a bit foolish for raising her voice like that. "Chill out a bit, alright?"

Buffy gave the girl a small gracious smile. "Thanks, Kennedy. I think I can take it from here." Spike watched as the Slayer stood from her perch on the arm of the couch, facing the group gathered in front of them. "As you all seem to know, _yes, Spike is a vampire, but __no, he will not hurt you."_

"But what if he…"

"No. He _can't hurt you. Hurting you would only result in him hurting himself, therefore it will not happen. He is not a threat to you, which means you are not to be one to him, got it?" She raised her eyebrows, getting a couple of nods. "Good." Turning back to Spike, she sighed heavily. "Spike, these girls… they're Potential Slayers. The First has been killing them off one by one, so they're staying here until we can find a way to stop it." Buffy was proud of herself for making it seem a lot more simple than it really was._

"Uh…" Spike looked over the girls again, then refocused on Buffy. For the first time that night he noticed that she seemed nearly as beaten up as him. His heart sank. "Seems like I've missed a bit, 'ey pet?"

"Oi! You're English?" Molly piped, sounding excited. Everyone stared at her curiously and she sank back a bit.

Buffy rolled her eyes, walking back over to Spike. "We can finish this tomorrow. Come on, you can take my bed for the night…"

TBC….

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Alright, prolly only one more chapter after this. I just needed to do something after I was left hanging at the end of "Showtime". *grumbles* Review! I thrive on reviews and they only inspire me to write more. :D


	2. Who, What, Where, When, and Why

Spike's eyes drifted open slowly, adjusting to the dim light in the Slayer's room. The blinds had all been carefully closed, making the usually bright room rather dank. He pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead, groaning. These after-torture-session headaches were worse than a bloody hangover. Reopening his eyes, which, surprisingly, he could now see out of **both, he caught a glimpse at the Slayer's alarm clock. It was late in the afternoon, surprisingly. The sun would set in a few hours.**

"Mmm…"

A soft moan drew his attention to the floor besides the bed. Much to his surprise, Buffy was lying there, wrapped up in a small lump of blankets. Had she been there all night? No. He remembered vaguely that she had said something about going back downstairs to talk with the mini-Slayers after she had helped him up the stairs and into her bed. Well, more like dragged him up the stairs when he nearly passed out and let him fall onto the mattress when the room began to spin. He had said something about not wanting her to sleep on the floor, and she said something about sleeping in with Willow, which apparently she had lied about to get him to shut up.

He suddenly became aware of the three bags of blood lying on the floor beside her. Had she gone out to get those last night? Or maybe earlier today… Hm. He felt a pang of guilt. Poor Slayer was running stupid errands on his account when she should be at home resting. The bruises on her face were more prominent now, making him wince. Poor chit. Had that happened when she was trying to get to him? He sure as hell hoped not. He sighed heavily, reaching down and grabbing the bags. She went to the trouble to get them, he wasn't about to let her efforts be in vain. He sat up, tearing into the first with his fangs.

He had just finished off the third packet when he heard the Slayer stir once more. He sat the empty bag absently on the table, peering over the side of the bed. "Buffy?"

She looked up, her head barely visible from underneath the blanket. She smiled. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah…" He mumbled, looking down at his hands.

She yawned, sitting up, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. "What's wrong?" She asked gently, her eyes shining with concern. He didn't look up and she sighed, bringing herself to her feet. The blanket fell to the floor as she sat down beside him on the bed, pulling her feet up underneath her. She remained silent, not exactly sure what to say to him.

"I… I almost gave up…" He finally said, looking up warily at the girl sitting beside him. "I thought you wouldn't come…"

"Spike, I…"

"You said you wouldn't." He interjected, looking back down. He shut his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "Not…not you. The First. It was you… a-and you said you wouldn't come…"

She frowned, shifting in her seat. He still refused to meet her eyes. "Hey." She said firmly, placing a small hand on his shoulder. He reluctantly looked up, eyes red and glossy. "I came, Spike. I wouldn't leave you like that, alright? The First was just trying to…"

"But you believed in me." He mumbled. "You believed in me and I gave up on you…"

"No." She said simply, running a hand down the side of his face. She shook her head slightly as he looked up at her. "I know you, Spike, and I know you wouldn't give up. You're too strong for that."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be." She said simply, giving him a small smile.

"Why did you come?" He asked quietly.

"I told you, I couldn't leave you there." She replied.

"… but why?"

She swallowed, unable to find words. No, they were there, she just couldn't bring herself to speak them. She found herself breaking down under his longing stare, her eyes watering up. She didn't think she could feel any worse for the vampire. She sniffled. "Come here…"

Spike could feel the threatening to spill as she wrapped her arms around him. His head rested against her shoulder and he closed his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled away, giving him another reassuring smile. She slid her hands from his shoulders and down around his hands, giving them a small squeeze. "We should probably go downstairs…"

-----

Buffy peered almost cautiously around the corner as she got to the base of the steps. This was for two reasons, one being to make sure the room wasn't flooded with sunlight, and the second being to see where the mob of teenage girls were located. By the looks of it, Willow had sent them to the basement for some training. This was a bit of a relief, as she really didn't feel like twenty questions again. She turned to Spike, who had halted beside her. She nodded towards the living room and the pair made their way towards the couch, Spike still rather limpy, but all in all much better than he was last night.

"You're looking better." Willow said, smiling as she walked into the room. "I heard you guys comin' down the stairs."

Buffy gave her a small smile, straightening up as Spike plopped down on the couch. "The girls downstairs?"

Willow nodded. "Sent 'em down a couple hours ago, figured you might not want them in here when you woke up. Told them they weren't allowed back up until I came down to get them."

"Thanks." Buffy said earnestly, smiling graciously at her friend.

"You guys hungry?" The redhead offered.

"Already ate…" Spike mumbled.

"No, I'm fine." Buffy replied. "Where's everyone else?"

"Xander went with Giles and Anya to try and get some new leads before the sun sets, and I stuck Andrew in the basement with the girls. Figured they needed to practice dealing with truly evil creatures. Or at least really annoying ones." Willow said.

"Good test of self-control…" Buffy muttered. "I take it Dawn's down there to?"

"Yep."

Buffy nodded, then turned to Spike. "I guess I should fill you in on what's been going on while you were gone."

-----

Buffy had just finished recounting what had happened to Spike when she heard the thundering of footsteps from the basement. Chloe had come up a few minutes before to use the bathroom, glancing curiously at them when she walked by. She nearly ran on her way back to the basement, obviously eager to share with the others that their new vampiric roomie was awake.

"Brace yourself…" Buffy muttered under her breath, giving the vampire a quick glance before the mob of girls exploded into the room, followed by a squeamish looking Andrew. He glanced at Spike, then proceeded to walk over to the far corner of the room.

"Oh my God, how did you…"

"You were a mess last night!"

"Do all vampires heal that fast?"

Buffy stopped the flow of questions by holding her hand up. "Guys, stop. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it one at a time, got it?"

They nodded in agreement. 

Spike shifted a bit, feeling quite like some sideshow freak. He had to admit though, he was a bit more comfortable than last night. For one, he had a shirt on. That in itself was a plus, not to mention the shower he had taken. And he could actually see out of his left eye, which meant that his face wasn't nearly as mangled as it had been, he didn't need a reflection to know that. 

Molly raised her hand.

Vi elbowed her in the side. "This isn't second grade."

"Sorry." Molly said sheepishly before looking back up at Spike. "Where in England are you from?"

Spike smirked. "Near Whales, pet."

"Really? Cause I used to live in Whales, but then mum and me shipped off to Cambridge after daddy left, and then we…"

"Molly, can we save this for later?" Buffy questioned, giving her an amused look.

"I've got a question." Vi piped. Spike gave Molly a quick wink before turning his gaze to the redhead. "Do all vampires look, well…"

"Hot?" Chloe blurted. She turned beat red. Spike smirked, catching a glimpse of Buffy's flushed cheeks from the corner of his eye.

"Uh, well…" He scratched the back of his head.

"Vampires look the same as they did the day they died." Buffy said, giving him a smirk.

"Oh…" Chloe mumbled, smiling sheepishly as she sat back.

"I thought vampires were supposed to be scary?" Rona inquired.

Spike looked to Buffy, who shrugged. He turned back to the girls, his face transforming. They gasped. Molly screamed.

He shifted back to his more appealing human visage, raising his eyebrows at them. There was silence for a few moments as they took in what they just saw.

"How old are you?" Kennedy questioned.

"I'm guessin' prolly around five times your age, kiddo." He replied.

"Really?" She questioned, arcing an eyebrow.

"Yep."

"So, he's like, _way_ older than you." Chloe said, looking at Buffy.

"Well, yeah, but what does that…" Buffy started.

"Why are you helping here? I thought vampires hated Slayers?" Rona asked.

"That's kinda a long story, luv…" Spike muttered, trailing off. "Let's just say I'm in it for the long haul. 'm'not goin' nowhere any time soon."

"So you're gonna help us." Kennedy said.

"Appears so." The vampire answered, shrugging.

"Do you really drink blood?" Molly asked.

"Yeah…"

"Human?!"

"Pig's."

"Oh."

Another hushed silence fell over the room. They all sat there, unmoving, unspeaking.

"So how long have you an Buffy been dating?"

TBC…

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A/N: Short, yes, but I have to get to work. :P More reviews are good, yes yes. *nods*


	3. A Vampire on the Couch

A/N: *feels stupid* Yes, yes. I was retarded enough to spell 'Wales' with an 'H'. I was at work and I thought about it and I was like "I spelled that all tarded, didn't I?" Ah well, I dun feel like fixing it. It shall remain for your amusement. Enjoy the short chapter of doom!

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Spike didn't think Buffy eyes could get any wider. She gaped at Kennedy, completely taken by her question. Spike was waiting for her to hop over the table and strangle the poor girl.

"W-what?" Buffy finally managed to form words… well, _a word. "Me and Spike? __Dating?"_

"Well, yeah. Aren't you?" Vi asked.

"He's all you talked about." Chloe said.

"And you two look _so cute together." Molly added._

"But she just said they _weren't together." Rona stated._

"Woah, woah, guys! Time out." Willow said, nearly leaping up from her seat. "No one said they were dating."

As if on cue, the SIT's all turned and stared at Andrew. He gulped, backing away a bit. "What? You locked me in a basement with them for three hours! They wanted information! It was torture I tell you, torture!"

"So you told them we were _dating?" Buffy growled._

"Well, yeah. But it was either that or I tell them he was just your sex slave."

"This is _so grounds to kill you!" Buffy spat venomously, leaping over the table and dashing towards him. He screamed, running towards the kitchen. Buffy followed and the occupants of the living room sat there, listening to the scuffle and muffled screams. A few moments later, Buffy reemerged, wiping her hands together._

"Did you…. kill him?" Vi asked, eyeing her warily.

"Of course not." Buffy said, flopping back down on the couch. "I just wouldn't go in the kitchen for awhile."

There was a large crash as if something had fallen over, followed by some more of Andrew's muffled screams.

"Yep, I'd stay out of there…" Buffy said, crossing her arms over her chest.

-----

"Yes, well, make yourself at home." Giles said, motioning a small blonde into the Summers' home. "The kitchen's this way, bathroom's upstairs, this is the living room and…." He sighed. "That's Spike."

The vampire looked up from his rather comfortable perch on the far end on the couch, a heavy blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a warm cup of blood in his hands. He looked up at Giles, then to the girl standing at his side. "New Slayer?"

"Potential." Giles corrected.

"All the same in my book." Spike said.

"Yes, well we all know that your idea of fine literature varies greatly from the rest of the world." Giles said stiffly, removing his glasses and rubbing them with the corner of his shirt.

"Who's that?" The girl questioned, eyeing Spike suspiciously. "And what's he drinkin'?"

"Oh, right. Erm, Aryn, this is Spike. Spike, Aryn." Giles said, slipping his glasses back on. "And, uhm, well. What he's drinking…. It's…. well…."

"It's blood, sweets." Spike said simply, finishing the cup off. "Pig's."

Her bright blue eyes went wide. "You…. you're…you're a vampire!!"

"Well, yes, he is, but…" Giles began.

"There is _no_ way I'm staying in a house that offers room service to vampires!" She shrieked, backing towards the door. "I've seen those things! Their killers!!"

"Aryn, please, just…"

"Oof…" Buffy stumbled a bit as Aryn bumped into her, dropping the bottle of Advil and the glass of water she had been carrying on the ground. It shattered, causing them all to jump. The Slayer looked up at the girl, who looked as if she were ready to cry. "You must be Aryn."

"You're her…. The Slayer…" Aryn mumbled, seeming almost awestruck. For a moment she forgot completely about Spike.

"That would be me." Buffy said, giving her a small smile as she bent down and began to pick up the larger pieces of glass.

"Let me." Giles said, squatting down to get the rest.

"Thanks Giles." Buffy said, giving him a grateful smile as she stood, scooping up the painkillers. She disappeared back into the kitchen for a moment, returning a few moments later when she had discarded the broken glass. She gave Aryn another smile. "Giles introduce you to everyone yet?"

"No, just Spike." Giles answered, looking irritated.

Buffy smirked, looking back over at Aryn and catching her nervous look. "Don't worry, he's harmless." She tossed the bottle to Spike. "Take four, it'll help you're headache."

"The bottle says two." The vampire pointed out.

"For people over 12." The Slayer stated.

"And…"

"And you're fifty billion years old, so take a couple more. It's not like it's going to kill you." She stated, turning back to Aryn. "Come on, I'll take you downstairs to meet the others."

Aryn nodded, giving Spike a nervous glance as she followed the Slayer towards the basement.

Buffy looked back over her shoulder, studying the girl's expression. "Don't' worry. You missed the whole Q & A session earlier. The rest of the girls basically interrogated him."

"Isn't he dangerous?" The SIT asked as Buffy opened the basement door.

"Nah, he's got a chip in his head that…"

She was cut off as a loud scream echoed through the house, coming from the living room…

TBC…

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A/N: Okay, short, yes. I'm not gonna develop this toooo much, just a couple more chapters, not much of a plot. Keep reviewing!!

!! 


	4. Stubborn Girl

A/N: Aight, fore I get into this next chapter, here's your warning: **I'm a sap for Spike's-in-pain-and-Buffy-pities-him stories.** This chapter is all about Buffy babying the po bleached vampy, so beware! It doesn't help that I was inna sappy mood when I wrote this, so apologies if they seem _way_ outta character. Imma loser! Yay!

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Spike awoke to the taste of blood in his mouth. Pig's? Nope. He ran his tongue over his upper lip, tasting more of the coppery liquid. Yep, it was most definitely his. He groaned, attempting to stand up. Nope, that wouldn't work. Something was holding him down. No again. Not something, _someone._ He could feel a hand on his shoulder, gripping tightly and keeping him lying on his side. The carpet pressed against his face was rather uncomfortable.

"Mmmm…." Well, that had sounded a lot better in his head. Spike had planned on a firm 'Let go.', but it seemed that odd moaning noises were all he was able to produce at the moment.

"Spike?"

That was reassuring. He'd much prefer to hear the Slayer's voice when coming out of some comatose state then, oh say, a demon? "Buffy?" He managed to choke out, prying his eyes open. 

"Dammit, Spike, you're bleeding again…" She grumbled, pressing a small cloth under his nose.

He cringed, shrugging her hand off his shoulder and sitting up. "Bloody hell." He snapped, pressing a hand against his forehead at the sudden sharp pain that shot through his skull.

"Lay back down, you're just making it worse." Buffy said in a knowing tone, pulling his hand from his head and pushing him back down to the ground. "Just stay still for awhile…"

He closed his eyes once more, taking the bloodied cloth from her and holding it in place. "What happened?"

She sighed, folding her hands in her lap. "You freaked out." She sat there for a moment, her legs crossed, watching as he layed there, his body trembling slightly. "I heard you yell, and when I got into the living room you were on the ground… crying." She trailed off slightly, diverting her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at him when he opened his.

"Wha…" As expected, he turned his head, staring up at her with a bewildered expression.

"You don't remember?" She asked quietly, bringing her eyes back to his.

He turned from her, staring blankly at the wall. "I… I remember…" His eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh God…"

Buffy cringed as he rolled onto his side, curling up on the floor in the middle of her bedroom. "Spike."

"Not again…. Buffy, please don't let it happen again…"

"Let what happen, Spike?"  She asked, regrasping his shoulder, this time in more of a comforting manner. "Talk to me."

"It was in my head again. I can still hear it… singin'."

"_Who_?"

"The First… singin' that stupid song." He spat, curling up a bit more. "I don't wanna do it again, Buffy. Don't let me…"

"Spike." She said softly, trying to roll him back over to face him. When he wouldn't budge, she settled for running her hand from his shoulder and down his arm, wrapping her hand around his. She leaned over him, allowing him to see her face. "Spike, listen to me. It can't get you anymore. Not like that." She swallowed, watching as he slowly turned his head to face her, his eyes brimmed with tears. "It was a dream, Spike. A nightmare. You were unconscious and you were dreaming. That's it…"

"But…"

"No." She said firmly. "You've been in here with me for the past three hours. _Nothing_ happened. You didn't do anything. It can't get you like that, I promise." She smiled slightly at the relief that wash over his face, but the smile faded quickly. "Shit."

Spike cringed as she grabbed the bloodied cloth from his clenched fist, pressing it against his nose once more.

-----

"Could it be an after effect of what The First was doing to him?"

"Buffy, I already told you. Even with the substantial physical abuse that Spike underwent, there was nothing that would have caused…. that."

Spike flinched, prying his eyes open. He was still curled up on Buffy's floor, a heavy blanket thrown over him. He could hear the Slayer and her Watcher in the hallway just outside the open door. He shivered, pulling the blanket more tightly around himself.

"But that's just it Giles. What was _that_ if it wasn't something that The First did?" 

"To be quite honest, I'm not sure. There was no serious head trauma, but…"

"No head trauma? Giles, that _thing_ was inside his head!"

"Buffy, The First was corrupting Spike with some type of mystical power, nothing that would cause such…"

"Such what, Giles? I have a freaking bath towel soaked with blood that flowed from his head and you're telling me that it has nothing to do with The First? What is it then, huh? 'cause I'd really prefer that he wasn't…"

"Buffy, please, just…"

"No, Giles." She snapped, stomping her foot. She pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead, closing her eyes, trailing off. "What else could it be? After what it did to him… Giles, he's laying in my room, shaking like crazy, and bleeding like there's no tomorrow. We have to do something…" She finished, her eyes pleading with him.

"And we will. But until we find out what…"

"It's all we have, Giles." She said softly. "Just… check. Find something. Anything."

The Watcher sighed, taking off his glasses and staring down at the blonde. "Alright, but there _are_ more pressing matters at hand, such as looking for a way to keep the Potentials alive."

"And Spike can help us with that, but we need to help him first." She stated stubbornly.

Giles sighed once more, replacing his glasses. "I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I'll see if I can find something."

Buffy gave him a small smile, crossing her arms more tightly across her chest. "Thanks…" She stood there for a few moments, watching as he walked down the stairs and out of sight. "…thanks." She mumbled once more, under her breath. Drawing in a long breath, she turned, walking silently back into her room. She shut the door quietly, then remaining next to it, her head resting against the frame.

"'m'sorry…"

Buffy turned her head quickly, looking down at where Spike was laying, his back to her. "What?"

He gave her a grim chuckle. "For bein' a pain in the ass… m'sorry."

She smiled slightly, wiping at her eyes before he could see her. "Don't be. It's not your fault."

He shifted a bit as she sat down beside him, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I'm in better shape than you…"

"That's not sayin' much, luv."

"Yeah…" She mumbled, dropping her hands to her sides defeatedly. "I know." She sniffled, opening her eyes and staring down at him. "You feel any better?"

"Feels like there's a soddin' freight train in my head…"

She nodded slightly, looking back down at her hands. "Giles is trying to find out… he's looking for something that could have caused this. The whole 'freaking out and bleeding like crazy' thing…the headaches…all of  it."

"Buffy, there's more important thi…"

"No." She said, cutting him off. She stared at him stubbornly for a moment before going to climb to her feet.

"Where're you goin'?"

"To get you something to eat. Your nose puked up most of what you ate earlier." She stated, making her way towards the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Spike sighed defeatedly, running a hand over his eyes. Stubborn girl. He groaned, trying his best to ignore the stinging-hot pain running through the back of his skull. _Stubborn girl_…

TBC…

-----

Told you I was a sap for Ouchie!Spike stories. Pity the poor vampire, I tell you! And a few reviews would be nice, too. :3

!! 


	5. In the Body of the Dead

A/N: I ish sleepy, so excuse my poor typing skills and innabilty to write anything decent. *claps*

-----

Buffy could feel the eyes of the SIT's following her as she came down the stairs. They were all seated in the living room, watching some movie on TV, but their attention was quickly drawn away as the Slayer came down the stairs. As far as they were concerned, Buffy had spent the majority of the day up in her room, apparently tending to a injured Spike. Aryn had been quickly accepted into the group, having been the only one who had seen Spike's little fit and having had to fill the rest of the girls in when they had come upstairs.

"How is he?" Molly asked, concern evident in her voice. She seemed to be the only one who had gotten over the fear that Spike might kill them. She seemed completely at ease with the idea that he would be helping them.

Buffy stopped, staring at the six SIT's staring at her. Even though Molly had been the one who spoke the words, she could tell the rest of them were just as anxious to know. She sighed. "He's better."

"Better?"

"What do you mean better?"

"What was wrong with him in the first place?"

It was like a chain reaction. One asked a question, they all piped up. Buffy waved her hand, signaling for them to stop. "Look, he's not in very good shape, you know that. I don't know what's wrong, and as much as I wish I could, I can't _do_ anything."

"Oh…" Molly muttered, her voice trailing off. "Do you think he'll be alright?"

Buffy swallowed. "I don't know." Was the only response she gave before turning and walking towards the kitchen, leaving the SIT's to their own once more. She walked quickly into the kitchen, hoping to slink through the dining room without dealing with the others.

No such luck.

"Buffy, hey."

The Slayer froze, giving Willow a forced smile. "Hey."

"Giles said things weren't lookin' so good up there. He's not doing any better?"

Buffy shook her head a bit. "Nah, he's still a little…" She trailed off, looking at the ground. "He's not doing all that great."

"You sure you don't want one of us to go up and take up guard duty for awhile?" Xander offered, looking up from the book he had been reading. He was seated beside the redhead at the dinner table. Dawn was seated to his left.

"Nah, I don't want to leave him alone right now…" Buffy said.

"Uhm, Buff. That's where the whole 'We'll keep an eye on him' thing comes in." Dawn pointed out.

"That's not what I mean." She said irritably, dropping her hands to her sides. "Do you know where Giles went?"

"Him and Anya went to see if they could find out about what could be wrong with Spike." Willow answered.

Buffy nodded. "Let me know when he gets back." She said, turning and heading towards the kitchen. Willow and Xander exchanged looks.

-----

Buffy didn't remember much when she woke up. All she knew was she had woke up in her bed, the smell of smoke flaring in her nose. Her first thought was that the house was on fire, but she realized soon enough that that wasn't the case at all. Opening her eyes, she found her window open, Spike sitting on the sill.

She smiled to herself, glad that he was up. She had nearly had to force feed him the blood she had brought him, only to be rewarded later on when his nose started gushing blood once more a bit later on. He passed out again a short time later. She had crawled into bed, and lack of sleep and her physical state had driven her back to sleep as well.

Pushing the blankets away, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, glancing at the clock. Nearly morning. She stood up, walking over and standing behind the vampire. "Smoking?" She questioned, eyeing the cigarette he held in his hand.

"Helps to get rid of alcohol induced headaches." He said absently. He flicked it away angrily. "Not helping…"

"Sorry."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, wrapping his arms tightly around his stomach. "M'getting' a bit tired of that word…"

She sighed, leaning her shoulder against the windowsill. "Me too…"

"Giles was in 'ere a bit ago. Wanted to wake you, but I told him to let you be. He told me to tell you that he tried, but he din't find nothin'…"

Buffy remained silent, her eyes on the floor.

"It' bloody cold." Spike said, sounding aggravated. He turned, hoping back through the window. He would have fallen had Buffy not grabbed his arm when he stumbled under his own weight. He sighed. "Thanks…"

"Yeah…" The Slayer mumbled, allowing the vampire to fall onto her bed. He sat there, staring at his hands. A few moments later, he looked up, hearing the Slayer rummaging in her closet for something.

"I'm going patrolling." She stated, pulling on a black jacket. She needed to get out of the house, she needed some time to herself. Time to think. She made the mistake of looking over her shoulder at the vampire, the look he was giving her causing a wave of guilt to wash over her. She couldn't just leave him here. And what if he spazzed again? She swallowed. "We have a couple of hours before the sun comes up. You coming with me or not?"

-----

The Slayer tiptoed through the living room, trying to avoid waking any of the numerous people sleeping there. She slipped through the hall and headed down into the basement in search of her extra stakes. She didn't plan on running into much on their run through the cemeteries because it was so close to morning, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

"Buffy! What are you doing up?!" Chloe dropped the sword she had been swinging through the air, jumping backwards at the sight of the Slayer coming down the basement steps. Molly was in the corner and she slipped the crossbow in her hands behind her back in a measly attempt to conceal it.

"Same question." Buffy said, looking between the two girls.

"Well… we just…" Chloe began.

"We couldn't sleep." Molly offered.

"So we came down here."

"We didn't want to wake anyone else up."

"Oh, we didn't wake you up, did we?" Chloe asked quickly.

"We din't mean to." Molly added. The two fell silent.

Buffy continued to stare at them for a moment. "So… you couldn't sleep and you decided to come down here and play with weapons you don't know how to use…"

"No!" Molly insisted, the crossbow slipping from her hands. It clattered to the floor and a bolt shot across the room, right at Buffy. She caught it mere inches from her face. The two girls looked horrified. 

The Slayer smirked. "Get your coats. We're going on a field trip."

-----

"You sure it was a good idea to bring the kiddies out to play?" Spike questioned as they walked, nodding to the two girls walking behind him and Buffy.

"They're in better shape than you." She said informatively, smirking. "I'm more worried about you getting your ass kicked then them."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm touched."

"It doesn't matter anyway, we've been walking around for almost an hour. All good vampires are already tucked into their beds." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "You not included."

"Yeah, guess the chances of runnin' into badies is pretty slim." He agreed. There was a loud wooshing noise behind them, followed by a quick shriek and a thump. The two turned quickly to find Molly looking sheepish, trying to pull another stray arrow from a telephone pole.

Spike walked over, grabbed it and easily dislodged it. He handed it back to the girl. "Just make sure you don't have that thing pointed at me, 'kay luv?"

She smiled sheepishly. "'kay…"

Buffy sighed. "Come on, let's head back. There's nothing out here…"

"Uhm, Slayer, not too sure 'bout that…" Spike said, sounding slightly worried.

Buffy turned quickly to see what he was staring at. "Well that's a bit odd." She stated dumbly. A large group of vampires was heading towards them, game faces on. Buffy counted off fifteen, then swallowed. This wasn't exactly what she had been expecting. "How many can you get?"

"Five or six tops, m'not exactly in prime condition." Spike replied, readying the stake in his hand.

"Right." Buffy said. "Girls, remember, go for the heart. Chloe, take off their heads and they're dust. Don't get near the center of the group, stay on the edges and if I tell you to run, you run, got it?"

They nodded.

"And watch where you're aiming that thing, Molly."

The next thing they knew, the vampires had swarmed around them. Buffy dusted three right off the bat, Spike managing to take down two more. Chloe was swinging her sword wildly, not even coming close to decapitating any of their foes, but the large gashed and wounds she was causing were doing a fairly good job of slowing them down. Molly dusted on vampire with her crossbow, but the rest of the arrows wound up protruding from various body parts.

Buffy winced as a large, scruffy vampire slammed his fist across her face, causing her to reel backwards, she returned to blow, following it with a kick and knocking him to his feet and shoving a stake through its chest. She turned and hurled a staked through the air, dusting a vampire that had been lunging at Spike. She swallowed, distracted for a moment. He had two more vamps on him, each doing a fairly good job of pummeling him. God was she stupid to have brought him… But she was quickly pulled from her thoughts as another vamp grabbed her around the neck from behind.

"Chloe, duck!" Molly said, barely giving the girl time to dodge out of the way as she fired another bolt over her head. It embedded itself in the back of one of the vampires pounding on Spike. He exploded into dust. 

Chloe gave her a surprised look, then swung around quickly, slicing through the other vampire's neck. He too exploded.

"Thanks, sweets." Spike muttered, pulling himself painfully up from his knees. He rushed over to Buffy, pulled the vampire off of her, and plunged a stake into its heart.

"Spike, look ou…" Buffy didn't get the words out one of the vampires smashed him across the back of the head with what looked –and sounded- like a large metal pipe. He crumpled to the ground, clutching the sides of his skull. Buffy glared at the offending vampire before lunging at him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Buffy finally dusted the last vampire, but only after Chloe had managed to chop off his left arm and Molly had imbedded an arrow between his eyes. Discarding her stake, she rushed over to where Spike was lying, dropping to her knees beside him. He was still clutching at his skull, his body shaking.

"Well, well, well. Quite a show, luv. I'm impressed."

Buffy's head shot up, Spike groaning slightly from where she had rolled him over and pulled his head into her lap. Her eyes went wide. She was looking up at… Spike?

"Gotta admit though, after you killed my precious Turok-ahn, a measly group of vampires couldn't have been that great of a challenge." He looked over at Molly and Chloe and grinned. "'specially with the help."

"Stay away from them." Buffy growled, jumping to her feet. She stood between him and the girls, Spike still curled up on the ground behind her. "I know who you are."

"Congratulations. You know who I am, but do you know _what_ I am?" He asked, smirking.

"What do you want?" She growled, fists clenched at her sides.

"To give you a choice, pet. Simple as that." He said, holding his arms out in a cocky manner.

She stared at him for a moment, watching as he continued to smirk. "Well?"

"You can end this, you know. Right here, right now. You see, as you might have noticed, I tend to take the form of creatures who are a bit…dead." He said, begining to pace back and forth. "But vampires, they're tricky creatures. Dead, yes, but living all the same. You catch my drift?"

Buffy remained silent.

The First tutted. "Not as bright as you let on, I see. Well, let me put it in simpler terms for you. In order to kill me…"

"You have to kill Spike." Chloe said, her eyes wide. "Since Spike's still alive in a way, if you kill him while The First is taking his form, you'll kill The First."

"Very good, pet!" The First exclaimed, grinning madly. "You must be the smart one out of the lot, 'ey?" He turned back to Spike, the same evil grin still on his face. "Well? You're move, luv."

Buffy's eyes remained locked on him. She didn't move. Spike let out a loud moan behind her, clawing at the sides of his head. Buffy looked at him for a moment, then shot her eyes back at the first. "Leave him alone!"

He chuckled. "Not me this time, sweets. Besides, the bloke's nothing but a waste of space anyway, nothing good'll ever come of 'im. No, he don't need me to destroy him anymore, bloody humans did a damn straight job of doin' it." He smiled, then began singing quietly.

"Shut up!" Buffy shouted, her eyes glowing with hatred. "Leave. Him. Alone." When the First didn't speak, she clenched her teeth, tightening her hold on the stake in her pocket. She turned slowly, looking down at Spike. He was still shuddering. She walked over to him, crouching at his side. Slowly, gently, she rolled him onto his back, the stake still clutched in her hands.

The First continued to grin.

Buffy closed her eyes, her hand sweaty. The stake felt heavy in her hands. Slowly, she reopened her eyes, turning her head to face The First. "I** will** kill you."

"Is that a threat?" He asked coyly.

"A promise." She assured him, rising to her feet.

"You let your emotions blind you. Stupid girl." The First said coldly. "No. I'm done playing with your precious vampire. It's your turn." He grinned widely, then in an instant he was gone.

"Spike." Buffy's stake clattered to the ground and she dropped to her knees beside him.

"You could have killed it…" Chloe muttered. "You could have stopped it and you didn't!"

"Oh shut up." Molly barked, walking over to Buffy. "I thought he said he wasn't messing with Spike's head any more…" She mumbled, watching as he continued to squeeze the sides of his head.

"It's not…" Buffy muttered, pushing the vampire's hairs away from his face. "It's the chip…"

"The what?"

"Come on, we need to get him home." The Slayer said, wrapping an arm around his waist and lifting him from the ground. Molly pulled his other arm over her shoulder, helping support him. Buffy gave her a grateful smile.

Chloe followed behind them, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her face lined with tears.

TBC…

------

A/N: Uhm…. Boo! So, I dun have much to say…. So….. review! *points finger*


	6. The Cavalry

A/N: I ish tired and cold. Scoo should have been closed today. It was frickin' freezin' in the stupid building. It was –20 outside with the windchill and I have to walk back and forth through a courtyard to get to classes! Ack, I'm not going tomorrow, so maybe I'll get another chapter out… maybe. Reviews might persuade me to be a bit quicker. *hinthint*

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"Willow?!" Buffy was hardly through the door when she shouted the redhead's name.

"Buffy, thank heavens. We we're worried sick." Giles said in a reprimanding tone as he came around the corner. He stopped when he saw them. "Dear lord. What on earth happened?"

"Not now, Giles." Buffy said, leading Spike into the living room. He fell onto the couch, curling up on one end instantly clutching at his head once more. "Where's Willow?"

"Upstairs, but Buffy, what…" Giles began.

"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed, rushing down the stairs, Kennedy on her heals. "Oh God… what happened?"

"Not now, Will. Do you still have Sam's e-mail address?" The Slayer demanded, sitting on the edge of the couch, trying to keep Spike still as he squirmed.

"Uh, Riley's Sam?" The redhead questioned. "Yeah, it's…"

"E-mail her. Tell her I need to talk to Riley **now."**

"But Buffy, I…"

"Willow, please, I don't have time."

Willow swallowed, nodded, then took off back upstairs in search of her laptop.

"Shit." The Slayer muttered, wiping at the blood that had begun to flow from the vampire's nose. "Molly, go get me a towel…"

The girl didn't need to be told twice.

"Buffy, what's going on?" Giles demanded, his voice firm. "What happened?"

Buffy sighed, taking the towel Molly handed her and pressing it under the vampire's nose. The rest of the girls had accumulated around the room, but for once they remained silent. "Me and Spike were going to do a quick patrol before the sun came up. Molly and Chloe were awake, so we took them. A group of vampires attacked us. Spike took a hit to the head and once we finished them off… The First showed up."

"The First? Bloody Hell…" Giles muttered. 

"It… it looked like Spike." The Slayer continued. She looked at Molly, then Chloe. She clenched her jaw, then turned back to Giles. "It said that it wasn't doing this to Spike. And it's not. Giles, it's the chip. It's malfunctioning or… something."

"Buffy, there's no way to be positive that…"

"Aaagggghhh!!!" Spike shouted once more, pulling at his hair as he curled up further into the cushions. Buffy had to grab his hands and pull them away before he ripped the hair from his head. She held them together with her left hand and used her right to hold him down when he struggled to get away.

"Tell Willow to get a hold of Riley **now." The Slayer demanded, putting the vampires hands above his head and straddling his stomach, using her own weight to keep him still.**

The SIT's watched in horror. Chloe and Molly remained apart from the group, arms crossed tightly over their stomachs. Neither mentioned anything about Buffy having the opportunity to kill The First, having only to have staked Spike. They remained as silent as the rest as they watched the scenario in front of them.

-----

Buffy shifted in her seat, careful not to jolt the vampire lying beside her. He was asleep. No, bad choice of words. Unconscious. When he had continued to struggle profusely, Buffy had resorted to slamming her head into his, knocking him out. It had been nearly three hours now, and other than the constant shivering and nosebleeds, he hadn't moved. Giles had taken the SIT's with him to meet with some demon 'contacts' he had around town, and Anya and Xander had tagged along for the sake of getting out of the house.

The Slayer sniffed, wiping the vampire's blonde hair from his sweaty brow. She wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do with him. Willow was upstairs with Aryn, who turned out to be rather knowledgeable when it came to scientific geeky stuff, trying to figure out a way that she could possibly disable the chip with the help of the microwave, some double A batteries, and an old radio antenna.

Buffy thought the idea was a bit absurd and they weren't having much luck.

Buffy shifted again, pulling her legs up underneath her. Spike made a soft moaning noise, and her heart sank. God did she wish she could do something…

"Buffy!!"

The Slayer looked up as Willow came rushing down the stairs, phone in hand. When had that rung? She shook it off as she came towards her, Aryn following behind her.

"It's Riley." The redhead said, holding out the phone. Buffy nearly snatched her hand as well when she took it from her.

"Riley?" The blonde demanded, climbing to her feet. The slayer closed her eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear and then glancing over at Spike. "It's Spike, Riley. There's something wrong with his chip. It's… malfunctioning or something. Going off all the time. It's hurting him and…"

She stopped talking for a few moments obviously listening to what he was saying. A scowl crossed her face. "Don't you _even_ give me that, Riley." She ground out venomously. A few moments later, she sighed heavily. "Thank you…" She said quietly, then turned the phone off. She looked up at Willow and Aryn, who were staring at her expectantly. "He said the chip's aren't long-term, and Spike's the only one with the implant that hasn't been 'disposed of'. He's gonna call if he finds anything…"

"So what do we do until then?" Willow asked.

"Wait." Buffy said, looking back over her shoulder at the vampire. "It's all we can do…"

-----

"Keep your elbows up, feet apart…no, not like that." Buffy sighed, moving Vi's elbows so they were in a better position. "Now punch."

Vi obeyed, slamming her fist into the punching bag. Aryn and Rona continued to block mock-punches they were throwing at each other, Chloe was sharpening a blade in the corner, and  Molly and Kennedy continued to hurl daggers at a target on the wall.

Vi yelped, pulling her hand back quickly.

The Slayer rolled her eyes, taking the girl's hand. She wasn't really in the mood to be training the girls, but she couldn't just sit around with Spike all day, as much as she would have liked to. It had been six hours since she had talked to Riley and she had come to the conclusion that he had his head too far up his ass and didn't plan on helping. She gritted her teeth. "Lemme see."

"Is it supposed to hurt like that?" The girl asked, flinching as the Slayer touched her finger. "Ow!"

"No. You had your fist balled up funny. This…" She said, poking the girl's ring finger and causing her to flinch. "…is broken."

"'ey!" Vi snapped, pulling her hand back and cradling it against her stomach. "You don't need to poke at it."

Buffy rolled her eyes. Motioning for vi to follow her. "Come on, we'll get some ice on it and I'll get you a splint." Vi made a face, following the Slayer up the stairs. They walked through the living room and down the hall to get to the kitchen, avoiding the others in the dining room. Willow and Dawn were still looking for some way to help Spike on Willow's laptop, but Xander, Giles, and Anya had gone back to researching The First.

"Do you think 'e'll be alright?" Vi asked, taking the ice pack Buffy handed her. She set it on her swollen finger, wincing.

"I don't know…" Buffy said under her breath, concentrating on digging out a splint from a first aid kit.

"He wasn't shakin' so bad. Isn't that a good thing?" The girl questioned, looking back over her shoulder towards the living room. "I mean, you'd think that…"

"Vi!" Buffy shouted suddenly, causing the girl to jump. She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Sorry, I just…. I can't do this right now, okay?" They stared at each other for a moment. "Here." The Slayer finally said, giving the girl the splint. "Keep it on for a few days."

"Thanks…" Vi said halfheartedly, turning to head back downstairs. Buffy snapped the bright yellow first aid kit closed, looking rather disgruntled. She froze, narrowing her eyes. Looking up, she saw Vi standing in the doorway, obviously having heard the same thing she did.

There was a loud noise coming from outside, getting increasingly louder. It was almost like….a thumping? "Go!" She ordered, pointing towards the living room. Her and Vi both broke into a run, thr younger girl nearly slipping as she rounded the corner. Buffy made it to the living room first, bounding over the coffee table and leaping onto the end of the couch Spike wasn't occupying and pulling the blinds to the side. She could hear the girls running up the stairs.

"Buffy, what's going…" Giles stopped mid-sentence. Staring out the window from behind her shoulder.

"Bloody 'ell…" Molly exclaimed, expressing everyone's thoughts quite nicely.

There were two helicopters in the street, their propellers spinning to a halt. Two more were circling in the air above them, lights shining down on the house.

"Riley…" Buffy muttered in disbelief, watching as Riley hopped out of the first chopper, followed by two other men. He waved them towards the house and then walked towards the second chopper. A man stepped out, a small package under his arm. He seemed to be giving Riley strict orders, then finally handed over the package. Riley stepped back as the choppers rose into the air once more, tucked the package into his coat, then turned and headed towards the house.

"Riley!" Buffy nearly knocked the other two men from the steps as she pushed past them, all but throwing herself into Riley's arms. "Dammit, Riley. You should have called. I didn't think you…"

"Buffy, I'd do anything for you, you know that. Just say the word." He said with a smile as she pulled away. 

She gave him a grateful smile. "So what's the dish?"

Riley sighed, trying to hide the fact that he completely repulsed what he was about to do. "Me and Sam called in a few favors. Had to get a team flying to Russia to drop us here on their way to bag a rare demon." He explained, then pointed to the two stern looking men on the porch. "These guys here are familiar with the procedure used to implant Spike's chip, so they should be able to remove it."

Buffy didn't know what to say, so she settled for something simple. "Thank you."

Riley nodded, smiling, but then gave her an odd look. "Uh, Buffy. Why are there so many people in your house?"

The Slayer looked over her shoulder. Everyone was gathered at the corner of the window, watching out. All six SIT's,her sister, her two best friends, her former watcher, and... Anya. She smiled sheepishly, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the house. "Long story…"

TBC…

A/N:….. for some reason I _really_ dislike how this chapter came out. It bothers me. Just the way it's written… or something. I want to redo it so it sounds like I want it to, but I'm a lazy SOB, so no. Ack. Sorry.


	7. Upgrade to Version 20

A/N: This is a short chapter, but it's prolly one of my favorites *coughBuffy'smeantoRileycough* . ;) Enjoy.

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Buffy couldn't remember the last time she had been so nervous. She was in the kitchen, trying her best to scrape together enough food for everyone in the house. She closed her eyes, counting to herself: Six SIT's, her sister, Giles, Anya, Xander and Willow, Andrew, Riley, the two scientist guys, and Spike. Well, Spike obviously wouldn't be eating, but he was still here. Seventeen people in the house, including herself. Wow. She grabbed to more boxes of macaroni and cheese from the cupboard, tore them open, and dumped the noodles into the pot of boiling water. She looked at the stack of boxes on the counter, all eight of them.

"I need a raise…" She muttered to herself, scooping them up and carrying them over to the garbage can. She sighed, opening the fridge and grabbing a package of ground beef. She made a face. She remembered how Dawn used to complain that it looked like brains when she was little, and now that she thought about it, her sister had been right. Her mind instantly went to the thought that there were two guys in the dining room using the table as a makeshift hospital bed as they chopped into Spike's brain to find the chip. Ew. She put the ground beef pack and grabbed seven of the thirty packs of hot dogs Xander had picked up earlier.

Cheap dinners.

-----

"Guys, food's ready!" Buffy called down the stairs to the basement. A moment later seven girls, including Dawn, came racing up, followed by a weary looking Andrew.

"I don't see why I have to stick around with them all the time." He complained.

"Because I don't have time to babysit you." Buffy stated. "Besides, you'll make a good moving target when we get to tracking." She added, smirking as she turned and led the way to the kitchen. Andrew stood there for a moment, whimpered, then followed after them.

Giles and the others had already gotten their food, having retreated back to the living room to continue researching. Buffy watched as the girls helped themselves to heaping mounds of mac 'n cheese and covered hot dogs with various condiments. One of them had even resorted to mayonnaise when Molly refused to hand over the mustard. Buffy made a face.

"Just go back in the basement and eat, there's not much room up here at them moment." She said, turning to head towards the dining room.

"Oh! 'ow's Spike?" Molly asked, her mouth full.

"Go downstairs." The Slayer repeated. "I'll let you know what's going on in al little bit."

There were a few mumbled protests, but the girls –and Andrew- slowly filed out of the kitchen, leaving the Slayer alone once more. She sighed, turning and walking into the dining room. "Uh, Riley. There some food out here if you're hungry…" She said absently, her eyes locked on the stone still vampire on the table. The two men were standing on either side of the table, looking down at, or better yet, _into_ his head. Buffy cringed, watching the vampire's hand, which was hanging limply at the side of the table, twitch slightly. "Can he feel that?" Buffy asked, looking up at Riley as he walked over to her.

He shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. Never had anyone digging in my head before."

"Oh…" Buffy muttered, her eyes dropping.

"Don't be so worried, Buffy. It's not like this is the first time…. Well, you know. There was the original operation and then the time he kidnapped the doctor and tried to get him to remove it. He's a vampire. It's not like…"

"It still hurts, Riley." Buffy said flatly. "It doesn't matter that he's not human. He can still feel pain."

Riley sighed heavily. He didn't agree, but he didn't disagree either. Instead, he changed the subject. "So how about that food?"

-----

"It's been almost four hours, Giles." Buffy complained from her seat on the couch, running her fingers over the cover of the book she had been 'researching'. It was upside down. "I mean, they do experiments on vampires. What if they're…"

"Buffy, I understand your concern, but I assure you. Things like this just take time." Giles said, sounding impatient. He had talked Buffy into leaving the dining room and helping with the research almost an hour ago, but he was regretting it. She had done nothing but voice her concerns about the vampire and she kept getting up every couple minutes to see how he was doing.

"But I'm just saying, Giles, what if they…"

"Buffy?"

The group in the living room looked up to see Riley in the doorway, smiling slightly. He had a small metal tin in his hands. Buffy climbed to her feet, walking over to him and looking into the tin. There was a small bit of metal in there, no bigger than the tip of a pencil. There was a small red light blinking on it, and the edges were burned. "That's it?"

"That's it." Riley assured her. "State of the art containment device. Forty thousand dollars each."

"You paid forty thousand for _that_?" Xander exclaimed, looking over Buffy shoulder.

"God, I can't believe something that small was hurting Spike that much." Willow said.

"It is quite extraordinary." Giles agreed.

"How many volts does it put out?" Willow asked curiously.

"Actually, it…"

"Agent Finn, we need the replacement unit." One of the scientists stated, walking up behind him.

"Wait." Buffy said, her face going cold. "What replacement unit?"

Riley sighed heavily, pulling the small package he had been handed earlier from his jacket and handing it to the man. "It was part of the condition I agreed to, Buffy. The only way they would be given clearance to remove the chip was if it was agreed that a newer, more powerful model be installed in it's place."

"Newer?" Buffy demanded. "_More powerful_?!"

"Buffy, it's…"

"Riley! The old one nearly killed him and now you want to put a stronger one in!?" She demanded.

"Buffy, the chances that this one will malfunction are…"

"No, Riley. No chances. You're not putting that thing in his head!" She shouted, pushing past him and into the dining room. She grabbed the man who had taken the package by the shoulder, pulling him away from the table. The man across from her looked up in surprise as she grabbed the tin containing the 'replacement unit'.

"Buffy, we have to do this!" Riley shouted after her.

Buffy looked down at the container in her hand. She took out the microchip, which was considerably larger than the last one. "No, Riley. Now tell them to sew him up or whatever or I destroy your expensive little toy." She threatened, holding the chip between her thumb and index finger.

"Buffy, would you just…"

"Try me, Riley. Just try me." She growled, glaring at him.

One of the men grabbed her wrist, trying to wretch the chip away from her. Evidently he hadn't been briefed on what a Slayer was. Buffy balled her fist around the chip, punched him in the face, then jumped in the air, planting her foot in the second one's chest as he came at her. He flew backwards, and an instant later, so did she, her body flying through the air with enough force to smash in part of the wall when she hit it.

"Buffy!!" Willow and Xander exclaimed, staring in horror at what had just happened.

Riley rushed over to help her up, but she pulled her arm away from him, glaring at him coldly. There was a small trickle of blood running from her nose and over her lip. She climbed to her feet, her eyes ablaze. She narrowed them at Riley.

"You triggered the chip, Buffy. It wasn't supposed to activate unless…" He stopped midsentence as she threw the chip to the ground and stomped down on it, crushing it under her heal.

"You were going to put that in his head…" She growled.

"Buffy, I was just following orders. You wanted us to remove it, and in order to we had to…"

"Shut up, Riley. Just. Shut. Up." She snapped. She looked down at her hand. It was singed, trickles of blood running down her fingertips. She looked back up at Riley. "That _thing_ would have blew his skull in two."

"It's been tested in other vampires before, Buffy. It would have just…"

"Fix him." She said coldly. "Fix him and get the hell out of my house."

TBC…

A/N: Yay! New chapter. I'm pretty sure I liked this one too. ^_^ Anywho, yeah. Prolly just one more after this, then I'll finish up Reconciliation. I had the rest of the chapters typed up, but my computer crashed and I lost everything.  *grumbles* Anywho, keep reviewing. I'm lovin the attention. :D 


	8. Right on Track

A/N: You're being warned, this chapter is rather…. Dumb. Ack. I wasn't sure what to do so you get…this, whatever it is. Hmm. *shrugs*

-----

"Ow." Buffy pulled her hand away from Giles, shaking it.

"Buffy, I you don't let me wrap it it's going to get infected." Her Watcher scolded, grabbing her wrist and beginning to bandage it once more. "That chip did a good job of frying it."

"And welcome to the world of 'duh'." She said, rolling her eyes as he finished up. "Thanks."

"I'd hate to say you were overreacting, but…"

"_Please_ tell me you're not taking Riley's side in this. How would you like to have that thing in your head?" She questioned, looking peeved.

"I said I'd hate to say it, Buffy, so I won't." Giles said, giving her a small smile. "You stood up for what you believed in and I can't reprimand you for that. I can, on the other hand, state how unnecessary it was for you to tell Riley you were sorry for yelling at him. He bloody well deserved it. On the other hand, seeing his face after you slapped him was quite priceless."

Buffy smirked at him. "Thanks, Giles."

He nodded, standing from his seat on one of the kitchen's stools. "I suppose I should try and get some sleep, it's been a rather long day…" 

Buffy nodded sullenly, watching him go. Sighing, she stood, following in the direction he had gone and heading upstairs. She was quiet as she passed Willow's room, knowing that her, Kennedy, and Aryn had already gone to bed. Slipping into the bathroom, she searched through the cupboard in search of a washcloth. Upon finding one, she ran it under some warm water, wrung it out, then headed back into the hallway. She crept to her room, opened the door, and shut it as silently as she could to avoid waking the sleeping vampire on her bed.

Despite no longer having the chip implanted in his skull, he still looked awful. His skin had a sickly gray color to it and there were dark rings around his eyes. The lack of blood in his system made him look sickeningly thin, and she made a mental note to go pick up some more blood in the morning. She sighed, walking over to the bed and taking a seat on the edge of it. Gently, she began to wipe the dried blood from his face with the washcloth, careful not to jar his head around.

"Stupid Initiative…" She grumbled under her breath, throwing the cloth to the ground. She sighed heavily, looking around her room absently. She looked down at her injured hand, flexing it and wincing at the pain that shot through it. It had been almost two and a half hours and it still killed. How could they even think about putting that thing in _anything's_ head?

The thought of that going off in Spike's head made her stomach lurch.

So did the sickening moaning noise Spike made a moment later.

-----

"Let him go!" Buffy commanded, fighting to get free of the chains holding her to the wall of the cave, the same cave she had rescued Spike from earlier that week, the same chains that had bound him here. She gritted her teeth as she pulled again. The chains didn't budge. "Spike!"

The vampire didn't respond as the two men slammed him face first into the ground. Blood gushed from his nose. One of the scientists placed their foot on his back, keeping him there as the other knelt down. Buffy could see where they had cut into his skull to remove the chip.

"Stop it!" She cried, trying desperately to break free when she saw him pull a small package from his white lab coat, not unlike the one Riley had had earlier containing the replacement for Spike's chip.

"Just following orders." The scientist said to her before kneeling down, removing the chip from the package.

That's when she heard it.

A low grown, coming from further down one of the cave's tunnels. The two men looked up, confused, and the next thing they knew…. they were dead.

Buffy watched in horror as the Turok-ahn emerged from the shadows, taking no time in tearing the two mortals to pieces. He looked up at her, licking his lips as he let the first fall limply to the ground. He seemed to be smiling.

"No…" she whimpered, watching as he turned his attention back to Spike. "No!"

"Buffy? Buffy!"

The Slayer jumped up with a start, her breath rigid. Her eyes jerked about frantically for a moment before focusing on the face in front of her own.

Spike.

"You alright, luv?" He questioned, sounding concerned. He was crouched over where she had been sleeping on the floor, his face mere inches from hers now that she had sat up, his hands on her shoulders from where he had been trying to wake her. "Buffy?" He snapped his fingers in front of her face, trying to draw her attention. "Buffy."

"Spike?"

"Uh, yeah. It's me pet." He said, giving her an odd look. "You had me worried there for a minute. Thought you were havin' a bloody seizure with the fuss you were makin'. Hell, coulda been…" He was silenced as she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and knocking him backwards. "Uhm…. Glad to see you too, luv."

"Dammit, Spike." She mumbled, tightening her hold on him.

"Uhm, ow." He said, pulling her hand away from his head.

"Oh, sorry." She said, making a face as she pulled away from him. She gave him a small smile, but he still looked confused. "Do you… do you remember what happened?"

"Uh, I remember…" He made a slight face, leaning back on his hands. Buffy sat on the floor in front of him. "I remember me an' you were goin' patrolin'… took Molly and Chloe with us… then…then those bloody vampires, that's what I remember. One stupid wanker took a good chuck outta my skull with that bloody pole I suppose, 'ey?" He said, running his hand over the cut on the back of his head.

Buffy's eyes were wide. "You _don't_ remember…"

He gave her an odd look.

She laughed slightly, looking down. "Probably better, I guess…"

"Care to fill me in, luv? I've got the feeling I missed something big."

"Actually, it was only about this big." Buffy said, showing him the tiny space between her index finger and thumb.

"Not helping much." He said, making a face.

She sighed, dropping her hands. "Your chip went all wonky, nearly fried your brain to a pulp, rerouted your bloodstream to your nose."

"That would explain the headache, I suppose…" He muttered.

"No. The four inch incision in the back of your skull explains the headache." She said.

"Four inch… what?"

She sighed. "I didn't know what to do, so I called Riley. Him and some of his Initiative goons came and they… they took out your chip…"

"They… took it out?"

"Almost put a new one in." She added. His eyes went wide and she smiled. "Don't worry. They didn't." She held up her bandaged hand and smiled. "Wouldn't let 'em."

-----

"So where's this girl at, 'xactly?"

"Giles said she came in on a train delivering fruit." Buffy said, balancing on the edge of the train track. "Cops said she booked it when she was spotted, but no one saw her leave the train yard."

"So our girl's hidin' out in one of these trains, 'ey?" Spike asked, looking around at the numerous train cars.

"That's the idea." Buffy said, hopping down from the track. "And that's where you come in."

"Me and my vampire senses."

"Yep."

He smirked as they walked in the center of a track running between two long storage buildings.

"So, you smell anything?"

"You mean other than the rotting carcasses of hundreds of pigs and cows? Nope."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who put a slaughter house next to the tracks."

"You know, if the girl made it this far, why didn't she just hop on another train and get to Sunnydale? Why stop twenty miles outside the city?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I dunno." Buffy mumbled. "Maybe she's scared…"

"…or dead." He said, raising his eyebrows.

"Or dead." She agreed glumly. "But she migh…" The Slayer froze.

"S'matter?" Spike asked, stopping as well.

"You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

She turned, her eyes going wide. "That!"

Spike turned quickly. "Bloody hell…"

A loud whistle rang through the air and they both turned, running down the tracks as the light from the oncoming train drew closer.

"I thought you said these were dead tracks!" Buffy accused, screaming over the clanking sound.

"Well excuse me Miss I'm Always Right." He shot back, glancing over his shoulder. Damn was that thing fast. He looked ahead. They had about five-hundred feet between them and the end of the buildings.

They wouldn't make it.

"Spike!" Buffy grabbed the vampire's arm and pulled him roughly into a small crevasse in the side of the building. She pushed herself flat against the wall, pulling him into the small space with her mere seconds before the train rushed past. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the deafening noise. Small bits of brick fell from the dilapidated building, raining down on them.

After what seemed like an eternity, the sound died out and she pried her eyes open. Darkness. She was now crouched on the ground in the small space, Spike's arms were wrapped around her head, muffling the sound and keeping the falling brick from hitting her. He pulled away slowly as the train passed, their ears still ringing.

"That was close…" Buffy mumbled.

"Yeah…" Spike agreed, swallowing heavily, his eyes on her. "Close…"

"You're bleeding." She pointed out, brushing her thumb over a gash in his forehead.

He looked up at her hand, then back at her.

She swallowed, her eyes refusing to look away from his. Her hand dropped. "We should go…"

"Uh… yeah." He agreed, tearing his eyes from hers. They stood, only to find themselves uncomfortably close in the minimal amount of space. Buffy smiled sheepishly, then turned her head and went to squeeze out. She frowned.

"Uh…"

"That's…"

"Bloody Hell."

"It stopped!" She declared in utter disbelief. The train had completely blocked the opening.

"Shhh, hang on a sec, luv." Spike said, pressing a finger against her lips. "Listen."

Buffy quieted, straining her ears to hear what he heard. Voices. A couple men, arguing about how they were going to be late for their next stop and need to unload the cars quickly. Eight of them. She sighed. At least they wouldn't be stuck here too long. She looked back up at Spike. "Well?"

"Looks like we're stuck here for a bit." The vampire said, sighing as he leaned his head back against the brick. "You might as well get comfortable."

"Spike, there's like, three feet of space in here. There's no way I'm ever going to be comfortable." She exclaimed.

He shrugged, closing his eyes.

"What are you doing?" She questioned, eyeing him curiously.

"Takin' a nap."

"You've got to be kidding me." She said. "You're gonna sleep standing up?"

"Either that or I sit down and take up all your floor space and you stand on me. This seems like the better option."

She remained quite for a moment, staring at him. He opened one eye and glared at her.

"Alright! It's bloody uncomfortable! You win, happy?"

She smirked.

-----

Buffy flinched, the sound of the train screeching against the tracks jarring her awake. She felt Spike shift beneath her. He had managed to sit cross-legged in the small space, and she had found herself sitting in his lap shortly thereafter.

"They're leavin'…" He said softly.

"Mmm, yeah…" She agreed, looking down at the small watch on her wrist. "Two hours later."

He chuckled, watching as the train began to lumber away slowly.

Buffy sighed, leaning her head back on his shoulder as she waited for it to pass. It wasn't nearly as loud this time around, seeing as it wasn't moving as fast and wasn't using its brakes. She felt Spike's arm snake back around her waist, holding her a bit closer than he had been before. She swallowed.

"What's a'matter, luv?" Spike asked gently, turning to look at her.

"Nothing." She lied. Damn. She made a mental note to find out how he did that. She shook her head, looking down. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" He asked, still watching her.

She nodded, keeping her head on his should as she watched the train speed past, finally disappearing and allowing them access to the tracks.

"Spike?" She asked, not moving. She continued to stare at the building now visible across the tracks.

"Yeah?"

She turned and looked at him. Brushing the hair away from his forehead, she pressed a small kiss besides the cut he had acquired. "You make a good pillow." She said with a smirk as she pulled away, crawling from his lap and standing out on the tracks. She looked around for a moment, then back down at him. She grinned, offering him her hand.

"Let's go find us a Potential."

FIN

A/N: Yep, I done. Stupid ending cause I really had no clue what to do. Buffy and Spike being forced to cuddle in minimal space seemed like a good plan. :3 Let me know if ya liked, and maybe I'll throw in an epilogue.


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